7 Days to Healthier Breasts: Day 1

Take a week for yourself and your health

If you have followed my articles over the last couple of weeks, you have successfully enhanced your breast cancer awareness. This is an important accomplishment during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now it’s time to take what we have learned so far and turn our newfound knowledge into actions. Are you ready to start reducing your breast cancer risk in only 7 days?

I’ve designed my intense 7-Day Prescription for Healthier Breasts to help you accelerate your proactive fight against breast cancer. Want to feel much better about your breast health? Just follow my 7-day plan. Over the next seven days, we’ll devote one day to each day of my 7-day plan. Let’s get started!

DAY 1 TO HEALTHIER BREASTS

Day 1 is the day dedicated to scheduling an appointment with your doctor, and reviewing your family history. Here’s what you need to schedule:

A mammogram if you are over 40 (or over 35 if you have a family history of breast cancer)Mammograms detect breast cancer in the earliest, most treatable stage, and find cancer an average of 1 to 4 years before you can even feel a lump. Ask your doctor about digital mammograms, and the newer “3T MRI” diagnostic test that is much more powerful than a mammogram for detecting early breast cancer.

A discussion about stopping estrogen plus progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT)Unless your doctor can give you a life-threatening reason that you should remain on HRT (combined estrogen plus progestin), it should probably be stopped. Hormone replacement is often prescribed for women entering menopause to stop uncomfortable hot flashes and night sweats. Overwhelming scientific evidence documents that HRT increases your risk of invasive breast cancer by 24% [1]. In fact, the government halted the main research study early because HRT’s health risks were so dangerous. More recently, a group of Sloan-Kettering doctors reported a 400% increase in breast cancer risk after just 3 years of HRT use [2]. HRT also increases your risk of heart disease [3], stroke [4], blood clots [5], dementia [6], and urinary incontinence [7]. Menopausal discomforts can be handled naturally. A recent study at The Johns Hopkins Hospital showed that soy protein rich in soy antioxidants can effectively reduce the discomforts of menopause including hot flashes and night sweats [8]. Studies show that flax lignans can also reduce menopausal discomforts.

A discussion about anti-breast cancer drugsIf you are at high-risk for breast cancer, or breast cancer recurrence, you should discuss anti-breast cancer drugs with your doctor. Several classes of drugs, including drugs that block estrogen from binding to estrogen receptors and drugs that lower production of estrogen, could help lower your risk.

A discussion about genetic testingIf you have a family history of breast cancer, then I recommend that you consider a genetic test to see if you are at increased risk. If you have genes that make you more likely to get breast cancer, you can become super proactive and vigilant. Researchers, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have recently found genes that play a key role in the spread of breast cancer to the brain [9]. The more you know now about your inherited risk now, the better you can fight breast cancer now.

A lesson on breast self-examsHave your doctor teach you a proper breast self-exam so you can perform it monthly regardless of your age. You are the best person to monitor changes in lumps and bumps in your breasts.

Explore your family historyFinally, call or email your blood-related family members (including distant ones) to inquire if anyone in the family has/had cancer. Knowing “what runs in your family” is important. Ask your mom if she took DES (diethylstilbestrol) during pregnancy. Let your doctor know what you discover. Day 1 is a busy day, but well worth the effort to reduce your risk.